Genetics
by CityofViralWolves
Summary: Spoilers,1-4. Tory has had plenty of reasons to doubt the world, but she never thought she'd doubt herself. When a not-so-well hidden blooper in Tory's parental check pops up, Tory is left with knowledge and an heirloom that could threaten the Virals as a pack. But more problems decide to show; Things are getting crazy and Tory's family thinks its best for her to disappear... B/T
1. Chapter 1

**So, here's the better synopsis I promised! …**

**With her 16****th****birthday just around the corner, and her love-life becoming a more imminent problem, Tory decides to let herself cry and goes through the books. But when a certain genetics document, a dinner with Whitney and a file room in Building Three all lead Tory to the same conclusion, she knows something's up. **

**Working around Kit was easy enough, but the Virals are just a little tougher. When Tory's big secret leaks through, can the Virals find the time or energy to save their human lives? Can Ben forgive her for making his mistakes? And can Tory work around being who she is now? Or will the Virals be broken once and for all…**

**Still not that good. I suck at summaries! But it's the best I've got, so yeah!**

**Me: Hello Tory and Ben and Sheldon and Hi and Ella and Jason and Chance and Cooper and all others who I missed in listing. My name is Derora Powers, but you can call me DeeDee. **

**Tory: …Well, you seem to know all our names. Nice to meet you, Dero – DeeDee. **

**Me: *Squealy voice* So, I'd just like you to do one thing for me, please, Tory. **

**Tory: Uhhh… sure?**

**Me: Can you read this aloud?**

**I hand her a piece of paper. **

**Tory: No problem. 'CityofViralWolves doesn't own anything recognizable from Virals.' How do you–**

**Me: Please, just continue. **

**Tory: Fine… 'The only things that are her own are the plot and her OC's which will be mentioned as so. All rights otherwise go to Kathy and Brendan Reichs.' *Frowns* Who the hell are Kathy and Brendan Reichs?**

**Me: Nobody you need to know for now; not until Terminal or whatever comes afterwards. **

**Hi: Huh?**

**Sheldon: Well done, genius. A grade-A question. **

**Me: Anyways, it was incredible to meet you all, but I desperately need to write about Tory and Ben now, so yeah. **

**Jason: WHAT?!**

**Me: NOTHING!**

I wasted a solid five minutes just trying to lift the damn thing. I couldn't risk flaring, since Kit had been dropping in to check on me every once in a while. The last thing I needed was him seeing two golden orbs where his supposed daughter's eyes should have been. But the first thing I needed was time after I'd finished lifting all these crates. The only things in them were documents, but there were _a lot_ of documents and _a lot_ of boxes.

I was in the file room, Building Three of Loggerhead Island Research Institute, organizing primate genetics files for Kit. As part of his Prove To Tory You Trust Her Plan, he had started giving me jobs to do around LIRI. They weren't helping his case, since usually they were just annoying little tasks that took out of the time I got to spend with Ben and the Virals – cringe, just the Virals – but this one was one from which I could benefit: it couldn't hurt me to spend some time in the other LIRI buildings, and I had wanted access to the genetics files for some time now. Two birds with one stone!

A few weeks earlier, during one of Whitney's long-awaited visits – _blargh_ – one of many where I had tuned out to the conversation, I heard in passing Kit mention that the genetics tests used on humans had recently started being used on the Loggerhead primates. That had piqued my interest.

With a heave, I managed to hoist yet another box onto its respective shelf. Remembering Kit's pop-ins, I scuttled over to the door and shoved a box against it. There. A fool-proof Kit Warning System.

While at the door, I grabbed my shoulder bag and returned to the stack of boxes. I pulled out two files: one from the closest box in my left hand, one from my bag in my right.

Flipping open the front covers of both files, I read the first lines. In my left, _Subject Name: Y-13_. In my right, _Subject Name: Victoria Grace Brennan_. Me. With a deep breath, I continued to read, page by page, each document.

When I was done, I replaced my folder into my bag and Y-13's into her box. Straining, I put the box onto its shelf and unblocked the door. Just as I did so, Kit walked in and almost tripped over me in the midst.

Kissing my forehead, he said, "Ready to go, Tor? I think you're done for the day." I nodded my agreement tiredly, though I wasn't tired physically. What reading those files had taught me weighed heavily on my shoulders. And on my father's.

Walking down the halls towards the front exit, I stared at the back of LIRI's Director's head.

But it didn't weigh on Kit's.

Christopher Howard was not my biological father.

**So, how was it?! Hopefully, the cliffhanger I attempted to put at the end makes you willing to read the next chapter, once it's posted? I certainly hope so. ED (that's a smiley face I made up)**

**Tory: I just met you, but I hate you. **

**Me: WHY?!**

**Tory: Because your little story is about me, I know everything that is gonna happen. For example, in chapter–**

**Me: DON'T SPOIL IT!**

**Tory: THEN DON'T MAKE IT HAPPEN!**

**Me: NEVER!**

**Sheldon: Wow. **

**Hi: WTF?!**

**Ben: …**

**So, please R&R before Tory kills me! Can I get 10 before Chapter 2 goes up…?**

**DeeDee / CoVW**

**BTW, sorry it was so short. I'll try to make the chapters longer, but it's my first actual story post! YESSS! Bye. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Ola, Tories! Not sure why I said that, but I'm at war with my backspace button, so it's not gonna change. It took me too long to record my conversation with Tory about the disclaimer, so I won't be putting our little heart-to-hearts up in every chapter. **

**Disclaimer: read Chapter 1's and remember it. **

I shuffled my feet, unable to sit still under their stares. They were my best friends, but they were not making this easy.

"So," Hiram said slowly, "you're saying you have doubts as to why you're in Charleston?" I nodded yes, and he continued, "And you're positive that something you won't talk about went wrong in some test you won't explain? That's not much to go on, T."

I sighed. I had already known that they wouldn't believe me if I only said it aloud. Reluctantly I walked over to my bag and pulled out the photocopies.

We were gathered in the bunker, all us mutant freaks. Me, Sheldon, Hi, Cooper, Chance – yes, Chance – and the mood swing Overlord himself, Ben Blue. Don't get me started. Our precious little desert jewel, an old converted war bunker for WWII Charleston defence, now our Geek-freak Pentagon-resembling data base, for all our mini-fridge needs.

It had been a week since I went through the documents in Building Three, and that week had been filled with hard looks from the guys telling me they didn't buy my mumbled excuses. Even Chance – _Chance_ – had said I was acting out of it. That was coming from the guy who willingly turned himself into a puppy plague experiment a week and a half ago.

As I handed the printouts around, I gauged how seriously they were taking this. Chance blinked, cocked an eyebrow, then sat back. He had no clue what he was looking at. Hiram snorted, took a closer look and frowned. He wasn't sure. Sheldon stared, gulped, then nearly got whiplash turning his head from me to the paper in his head. He got the gist.

Ben, as the mood swing Overlord, was in Give-Nothing-Away mode. He didn't gasp, didn't sit back with a stunned expression, didn't do ANYTHING! I had no friggin' clue what was going through his brain, and I couldn't flare so close to Chance to find out. Damn him and his obsession with my secrets!

"Tory," Chance said slowly, sending shivers up my spine. I'd never get used to him, "mind explaining what we're looking at here?"

I looked desperately at Sheldon, hoping he understood enough to explain to the others. He sighed, took a deep breath and said.

"Only two people in this room have these."

Everybody looked a bit confused and looked around at the papers in every one's hands. Sheldon shook his head impatiently. "Not these papers," he clarified, "but copies of their own. This," he said, raising the copy in his hand, "is a page of Tory's genetics file, from her genetics testings."

"Huh?" Hi and Chance said in unison.

"A genetics test is what they run when a child – like Tory – is raised by only one parent. This matches DNA to find the other parent. Tory's is terminally screwed."

Chance raised his hand, as though Sheldon was a nasty biology teacher. "So, why would two people have these? Tory's the only one who grew up without a parent."

This time it was Ben who answered, much to all our surprise. "The tests are also used for soon-to-be single parents. They test the kid to make sure both parents are biological, then use the files to determine custody."

"Am I right in guessing you have one, Big B?" Hiram grinned like a clown, elbowing Ben repeatedly.

"Yes," Ben said, glancing at me before giving poor little Stolowitski the look that said 'move the arm or you lose the arm', "I do." Hi moved the arm and came to sit beside me, as I was sitting on the opposite side of the room.

"So, Ben, have you seen your files?" Sheldon asked in his schoolteacher voice, earning him a warning glance from Ben. "Yes," Came his response.

"Do these make any sense to you?"

"No. The variables are mangled and on first glance I can see 5 – no, 6 – ignored decimals. Whoever ran this test was either terminally stupid or paid to make it shit. No offense, Tor." He mumbled the last part.

I didn't comment. What was there to say. He hadn't mentioned anything that wasn't true. And I had only showed them one page out of 30. They continued to point out mistakes and soon I tuned out. I had heard it all and said it all, and then some.

Sooner or later they'd come to the same conclusion I had.

**I hope you enjoyed that! I haven't been writing lately, but it'll hopefully be a bit more frequent from now on. TTYL (type to ya later)**

**DeeDee**


End file.
